


Before Every Good Morning

by FrigidAirDotCom



Category: Hetalia - Fandom
Genre: Alfred the self-righteous, Beds, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Fatherly Love, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Night Terrors, Nightmare, Sleep, What goes bump in the night, good parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-30 01:00:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13939203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrigidAirDotCom/pseuds/FrigidAirDotCom
Summary: FACE family one-shot about what happens when Matthew has a night terror.





	Before Every Good Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Dad - Arthur  
> Papa - Francis
> 
> The twins are about 8 years old

p>Matthew's eyes were focused on the empty blackness in his room. He was straining to find the outline of any specter lurking in the dark. It was already here. He could feel it. He sat up and leaned against the wall near his bed. With his hands folded in his lap, he scanned the room. A chill entered him raising hairs on the back of his neck. Someone is in here. Like the pull of gravity, he was drawn to it. The air felt changed as if he was breathing pure nitrogen. Beside him, a voice whispered something. He wanted to hear it so badly. 

 

He stood from the bed and walked to his closed door. He wrapped his small hands around the cool rustic handle. He felt the presence close to his ear. It Spoke to him: I’m gonna let it through. Don’t you breathe. Matthew whimpered when the door swung open at his fingertips. 

 

He wanted it to be water, but it wasn’t water. Don’t you breathe.

 

All the oxygen in the room was suddenly sucked out. Matthew’s eyes were also flooding with saltwater tears. An almighty seal had broken in half giving way to something he couldn’t even imagine. He tried to suck in and breathe but there wasn’t any air. Tears rushed out of his eyes like a dam had burst and the room was filling with them. The water pooled at his ankles and was soaking the carpet. 

 

Matthew tried to run out of the room but something grasped his leg. He was being dragged back. Matthew tried to scream but nothing was coming from him. Terror was running rampant through him and his bones felt like they were coming apart one by one. He didn’t know what was real anymore.

 

(1:46 am)

On the other side of the terrifying dream, Alfred was sitting on the floor holding his twin’s shoulders. He and Matthew held a strange 6th sense. When one woke up, the other followed. He had sat on his bed watching Matthew curl up whimpering then shoot straight up. Something was wrong. He had grown accustomed to Matthew having nightmares, but this was different. He never moved.

 

Matthew moaned something then collapsed on the floor. Alfred leaped out of his bed and ran to his side. He turned his face to him and whispered his name multiple times. He pinched his cheeks and ears trying to wake him but he didn’t respond. What if he never woke up? He crossed his legs and pulled Matthew onto his lap and shook him a bit. Matthew broke out crying and thrashing. Alfred cried a little too as he rocked him. He shushed him and put a hand over his mouth as he screamed. He didn’t want to wake their parents. Matthew jerked a few more times then came back to him. 

 

Matthew grabbed onto his brother and cried into the dark. 

 

“Mattie are you okay?” Alfred was crying. 

 

“Is he gone?” He whispered in an intense tone.

 

“who?” 

 

“Him.” Matthew’s voice shook.

 

They sat in silence on the floor of their shared room crying to each other surrounded by thick darkness.

 

“Can I sleep in your bed the rest of the night?” Matthew whispered. 

 

Alfred wordlessly helped his brother up and crawled into the far side of his bed. Matthew curled up under the covers beside him. They were frigid.

 

Alfred felt it was his responsibility to care for his brother. Matthew being the smaller and younger one, Alfred had made the choice to be strong for both of them. He over his brother until his breathing evened out. He watched him whimper and stir, and he watched him sigh and settle in. He fell asleep soon after.

 

The night wasn’t over yet.

 

(3.12am)

Matthew woke and sat up again. It was much calmer this time. He scanned the room for the black beast that so often sought him. He didn’t see him anywhere, but he felt some piece of him was near. The bed was colder than he remembered.

 

He tried to think nothing of it as he laid back down. He pulled the blankets up to his chin and looked at his sleeping twin. His face was relaxed. Their parents called him a little lion man. He played the part well as he slept. Matthew smiled and rolled onto his side. Hopefully, sleep would be kind.

 

(3:23 am)

Matthew burst into tears as he tried to shake Alfred awake. It wasn’t working. He sobbed loudly and grabbed his twins limp hand. Cold as death, pale as ice. He shrieked when something plucked him from the dead body.

 

(3:25 am)

Francis woke to the sound of both his children screaming. This was what real terror was made of. He sprinted from his room and into the boy's room where he found a horrifying sight. Matthew was speaking while he was shaking Alfred who was screaming just as loud. Francis pulled Matthew off of his twin and cradled him in his arms tightly. Arthur burst through the door behind him and rushed to Alfred. 

 

“He’s still asleep don’t hurt him!” Alfred wailed. 

 

Francis sat down on the ground and cradled his son. He was still crying loudly and reached for Alfred with open unseeing eyes. Alfred grabbed the hand of his twin and cried softly. Arthur sat beside Francis and took Matthew’s other shaking hand.

 

(3:29 am)

Matthew covered awake and found his parents and twin looking at him with eyes full of fear. He sniffled a few times before they enclosed him in a warm group hug.

 

“Mon lapin you are safe now.” His Papa said. 

 

“What happened?” His dad said. 

 

“He had another nightmare before so I let him sleep with me. But then he started screaming and started shaking me!” Alfred said. Matthew couldn’t quite find his voice so he nodded and tried to calm down.

 

“Well, it’s over now.” Dad kissed Matthew’s cheeks and Alfred’s forehead. “Try to get some sleep loves.”

 

Papa tucked them both into their beds and kissed them goodnight. They closed the door with a click and their footsteps sounded down the hall. Alfred immediately moved into Matthew’s bed and cuddled into his twin. They said nothing but we’re comforted. 

 

(4 am)

They couldn’t sleep. The twins stayed in Matthew’s bed until they were shaking again. Alfred grasped his brother’s hand and pulled them both out of bed. It just wasn’t going to happen. 

 

They tiptoed down the hall even trying to quiet their minds, for maybe that would cause a disturbance. Alfred walking in front while Matthew followed with his hands on his twin’s shoulders. Alfred opened their parent's door and led them through the blackness until he bumped into a solid soft mass. The bed was a tall king size mattress and box spring with cream-colored sheets in natural light. Alfred made the climb on top of it and pulled his twin up beside him. 

 

Alfred crawled between their parents and opened the sheets to fold himself inside. Matthew followed suit and curled up beside his brother. Through the blackness, he could see his brother staring at him. His eyes were tired yet full of love and care. Alfred snaked his fingers into Matthew’s and settled in facing him. Behind him, he heard the low chugging sound of his Papa snoring, and behind Matthew was the sound of his Dad mumbling sleepy nonsense. 

 

These things finally pulled the boys into sleep. A deep, safe, slumber surrounded by love. 

 

(8:04 am)

Arthur loved his husband so much. He loved his sons so much. Arthur laid on his side watching three chests rise and fall. Bliss. Francis had thrown his arm around the twins in his sleepy protective determination. The twins (who acted like they were joined at the hip anyway) were curled in facing each other with their foreheads touching. Arthur brushed some of Matthew’s long hair back. 

 

It had terrified him to watch his son ride out a night terror and not be able to do anything about it. He wished he could take this experience and turn it around. The best he could do was curl his fingers into his husbands and complete the circle around their sons. Life goes on, and so the day follows night. But a lot can take place before every Good Morning.

 

(9:20am)

Yellow morning light filtered through the curtains and stained the cheeks of the sleeping forms. Francis let go of Arthur’s hand and sat up straight stretching. The sheets were pleasantly warm and almost begging him not to leave. The alluring thought of breakfast won him over. 

 

Francis kissed three foreheads and got three unintelligible groans in return. Arthur opened his eyes and smiled fondly at him. Nothing was more beautiful than his perfect bed-head. He mouthed the words “breakfast please” and gave him a fake pout. He tried not to let the mattress dip down as he stood. Matthew stirred then rubbed his eyes and Alfred sat up. 

 

“Good morning loves.” Arthur leaned on his elbows and kissed their cheeks.

 

“G’morn Dad.” They said in unison.

 

Francis yawned loudly and spoke his good morning. The twins grunted then laid back down. Arthur chuckled:

 

“Yes, yes. Good morning all.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> idk why this fell out of my brain. By brother Had night terrors and described his like this.


End file.
